Book Review by Aarene Storms: Keeping the Castle

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl

17-year-old Althea needs to marry for money. She knows that the fate of her noble-but-impoverished family as well as the fate of the family castle depends on her ability to make a successful -- i.e. a wealthy -- marriage match. At first, Althea is willing to marry anybody who is rich enough to pay the bills and repair the dilapadated ancestral home, but gradually she realizes that she would prefer to marry someone who is not only rich, but also well-bred, well-educated, well-mannered, good-looking, and smart enough to recognize those virtues in Althea herself.

Fans of Jane Austen's literary world will adore Althea and her eccentric family, and astute readers will immediately identify the character that she should marry, even when Althea seems impossibly blind to his fine qualities. This quick, charming book can also be a stepping stone to the world of Regency romance made so popular by Downton Abbey.

No sex or cussing (heavens forbid!); the sweet and funny romances in this story will mostly appeal to readers ages 12 to adult.

The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS